When scouting for recipes for this months theme I was pleasantly surprised by the number of males who came forward to share their recipes with us. Aidan is one these males and he kindly shared a recipe for Oaty Brown Bread, straight from the homeland, Ireland. Here are his thoughts on this hearty loaf:
“Growing up in Ireland, Brown bread (well for me anyway) was always something that you were told to eat because it was good for you. My Granny would bake up a few loaves every week and every time we’d visit, my Mum would take some back home. She would put some in the freezer so that every morning before school there would be some brown bread to get us on our way! Toasted sliced white pan was a rare treat so when I got older and was deciding for myself, I’d usually opt for the less wholesome option! I’d still have brown bread regularly, but never really thought much about it.
That was, until my wife and I moved to New Zealand! People here don’t know what brown bread is. After months of going through all the different types of bread in the supermarket we started to crave some proper brown bread. That’s when Lynne found a baker selling “Irish Brown Bread” at the Britomart Farmers market. Brown bread never tasted so good. That was all good for a while, but then the baker moved on, so there was nothing for it except baking our own bread”.
Lynne wrote home to her Mum, who was already using this recipe invented by her friend (who also bakes amazing cakes by the way!). We’ve been making it ever since and now it’s hard to believe that I thought of brown bread as anything other than what it is: Delicious!
This recipe is great. It’s quick and easy, and seems to keep working no matter how bad my measuring is.
And I know this means that I must be getting old, but the best thing is: It’s really good for you!
